The IEEE Industrial Electronics Society is extremely saddened to announce the passing of Darryl Palmer (19 May 1971 – 30 August 2026). He was a longtime volunteer and friend to many of us on the IES Industrial Activities Committee. Those who worked with Darryl knew how much IEEE mattered to him. He cared about the organization, the people in it, and the work of connecting technology with industry.

Darryl gave a lot of time to IEEE, well beyond the IES Industrial Activity Committee (IAC). He was involved with IEEE Industry Engagement, the IEEE Standards Association, IEEE Region 4, the IEEE Central Illinois Section, as an Associate Editor for Transactions Industrial Informatics and the IES Representative to IEEE Entrepreneurship, and other programs. IES volunteers will remember his enthusiasm and his steady sense of responsibility. He showed up, followed through, and was always eager to be useful. He cared deeply about the ties between IEEE and industry. He believed IEEE had real value for engineers and for companies, and he acted on that belief. He made time to talk, introduce people, offer advice, and help move ideas along. In the IAC and, more broadly, in IES, his ideas and friendship made our work better. His passing is a loss for IEEE and IES, and a personal loss for those of us who knew him. We will miss his energy, his judgment, and his company. At the same time, we remember what he built through years of volunteer work. His focus on industry engagement and his commitment to IEEE’s mission will stay with us as we continue that work.

We send our condolences to Darryl’s family, friends, and colleagues across IEEE. So many people respected him and valued working with him, and we hope his family can take some comfort in that.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Darryl’s memory to the IEEE Foundation to support pre-university STEM education for children. Darryl was deeply passionate about introducing school-aged kids to technology, a mission he championed locally, as the Educational Activities Chair for the IEEE Central Illinois Section, and globally, through his work with IEEE. Contributions will directly fund hands-on engineering, robotics, and AI programs to promote a lifelong interest in technology, keeping alive Darryl’s legacy of inspiring the next generation.

Tribute gifts can be made here: https://www.ieeefoundation.org/ways-to-give/tribute-giving/